Hardik Pandya has had a difficult year since becoming the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. When he took over from Rohit Sharma, Pandya faced jeers at many of the stadiums during the IPL 2024. After the T20 World Cup 2022, it was thought that Pandya would become the T20 captain, but Rohit Sharma was chosen instead for the 2024 edition. Following the 2024 T20 World Cup, where Pandya served as vice-captain, he was anticipated to become captain once more after Rohit announced his retirement.
But things didn’t go as expected, and Suryakumar Yadav was chosen to lead the T20 team for the trip to Sri Lanka. The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s main selector, Ajit Agarkar, explained that this choice was made because Pandya has had many injury issues.
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Russell Arnold shared his thoughts on this matter.
“Both players are very talented. They each contribute unique skills. Suryakumar Yadav is likely one of the top T20 batsmen currently, and he needs to understand and analyze the game better than anyone else. Hardik has also demonstrated his abilities,” Russell Arnold said to Sports Tak.
“I think the way the IPL went and the fact that Hardik didn’t really earn everyone’s respect might have made the BCCI consider a different approach. It’s important to get everyone working together and keeping them calm and happy so they can all move in the same direction. I’m not saying that wouldn’t have happened with Hardik, but I believe, right now, it’s a good chance and a great chance for Suryakumar to show what he can do and make it his own.”
